BY SAM GUTELLE
If, like me, you spent your younger years on websites like Newgrounds and Albino Blacksheep, there’s a good chance you hold fond, nostalgic feelings for “End Of Ze World,” the 2003 viral video from creator Jason Windsor. In addition to receiving millions of views, the clip had a major cultural impact for viewers of a certain age. Personally, I cannot count the number of times I’ve used the phrase “but I am le tired” after a long day.
For years, “End Of Ze World” seemed destined to go down in history as a legendary internet one-off, but earlier this week, its legacy changed. 15 years after he first entertained us with his foul-mouthed take on international politics, Windsor has returned with an “End of Ze World” sequel, which focuses primarily on the presidency of Donald Trump.
As he did 15 years ago, Windsor mines comedy from crude stereotypes related to major international political figures and their nations. During the four-minute video, Russia kicks the U.S. below the belt, Kim Jong-Un holds a missile in front of his crotch, and Australia, as per usual, is like “wtf, mate?”
While those jokes may resemble the original “End Of Ze World,” Windsor’s sequel has a stronger political slant than its predecessor. Many YouTube commenters, as they are wont to do, have criticized the video for its anti-Trump rhetoric, but Windsor is sharing a message he finds important.
“Making fun of these very, very real threats to our survival, that are on the one hand not to be taken lightly at all — really that was the instigation to finally make another video associated with the end of the world,” he told New York Magazine. “Because, yeah man, shit’s fucked right now, and it’s only going to be getting worse.”
Say what you will about the quality of the “End Of Ze World” sequel; I’m just happy that Windsor is back. If now’s the time to revive viral videos from the pre-YouTube era, I think the logical next step is to see what the JibJab guys are up to these days.